Terell Stafford

Terell Stafford

Trumpet

Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time” and “a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Back in 1988, Stafford had a chance meeting with Wynton Marsalis who suggested that he study with Dr. William Fielder at Rutgers University. After studying trumpet fundamentals with Dr. Fielder, Stafford was inspired to play all genres of music including jazz. Stafford later went on to perform in Marsalis’ group Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

He’s also been an integral member in bands led by esteemed artists such as Cedar Walton, Sadao Watanabe, Herbie Mann, and Matt Wilson over the years. Along with a number of associated groups and accolades, Stafford’s illustrious career includes a Grammy Award for the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra’s Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard album and appearances on more than 130 albums.

Tim Warfield

Tenor Sax

According to Peter Watrous of The New York Times, Tim Warfield “is perhaps the most powerful tenor saxophonist of his generation.” Warfield picked up alto saxophone when he was nine years old, and switched to tenor when he was a teenager. After a short period at Howard University he became a jazz musician full-time.

Stafford went on to work with Jimmy Smith Christian McBride and Nicholas Payton. Other associations include work with Donald Byrd, Michele Rosewoman, Dizzy Gillespie, Isaac Hayes, Charles Fambrough, Orrin Evans, Joey Defrancesco, and Danilo Perez. Warfield has appeared on several GRAMMY-nominated recordings such as Stefon Harris’ “The Grand Unification Theory,” as well as “Dear Louis” and “Sonic Trance,” both under the leadership of trumpeter and New Orleans native, Nicholas Payton. He’s a member of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia and was recently inducted by the Senate as a newly appointed member of the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts.

Bruce Barth

Piano

Tony Bennett once said, “I have a great love for excellent musicians, and Bruce Barth is one of my favorites.” Jazz pianist and composer Bruce Barth has been sharing his music with listeners the world over for more than two decades. Barth was born into a musical family, and started banging on the piano before he could walk. At the age of eight, he went on to study piano and musicianship with Tony and Sue LaMagra. Barth eventually enrolled in New England Conservatory in Boston, where he studied with Jaki Byard, Fred Hersch, and George Russell. His first professional recording was Russell’s masterpiece, The African Game, captured live on Blue Note Records.

In 1990, Barth joined the Terence Blanchard Quintet. He recorded six CDs, as well as several movie soundtracks with the band. He even played piano on-screen in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X . Throughout his professional life, Barth has had extended collaborations with Tony Bennett, Steve Wilson, Terell Stafford, Luciana Souza, and Karrin Allyson and David Sanchez. And he has performed with James Moody, Phil Woods, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Harrell, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Art Farmer, Victor Lewis, John Patitucci, Lewis Nash, and the Mingus Big Band. He is also a Grammy nominated producer, with more than twenty CDs to his credit.

Peter Washington

Bass

Jazz double bassist Peter Washington got his start at an early age. At 14, Washington played with the Westchester Community Symphony. After playing electric bass in rock bands, he became interested in jazz in college and got opportunities to play with John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Harold Land, Frank Morgan, Ernestine Anderson, Chris Connor and other Bay Area luminaries.

After moving to New York City in the 90s, he toured with the Tommy Flanagan trio until and has played with the Bill Charlap Trio since then. He was a founding member of the collective hard bop sextet One for All.In 2008, Washington played with The Blue Note 7, an all-star septet formed in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. An extensive discography number include more than 400 recordings, and speaks to a constant demand for his services as a versatile side man.

Billy Williams

Drums

Billy Williams began playing drums at the age of ten at the Brotherly Love Church of God in Christ in Norfolk, VA. The life-long lessons of the music ministry, humility and professionalism learned during this time would also prove to be very vital to his career. Since graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, Williams has traveled the world extensively as a performer and educator. He’s also worked professionally with the likes of Larry Willis, Cyrus Chestnut, Warren Wolf, Christian McBride, Jon Faddis, Ellis Marsalis, Benny Golson, and Steve Davis amongst others. He’s also appeared on more than 30 recordings.

Williams has performed worldwide in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard in New York City, Duc Des Lombards in Paris, France, the A-Trane in Berlin, Ronnie Scott’s in London, Porgy and Bess in Vienna, Austria, Doha in Doha,Qatar and Umbria Jazz in Perugia, Italy. As an educator, Billy has been featured as an Artist-in-Residence at Duke University and JazzSTL, A St. Louis, MO-based non-profit organization specializing in Jazz Education.